Palmer, Mercer face off in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District

The race for Alabama’s 6th Congressional District features a longtime incumbent against a former president of the Pelham City Council. 

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, seeking his seventh term in office, will face Democratic nominee Maurice Mercer, who won the Democratic nomination for the district against Ashtyn Kennedy in the August 11 Democratic special primary. The district is among the most conservative in the country. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report lists the district as “Solid Republican.”

The 6th Congressional District spans portions of Jefferson County outside Birmingham, alongside Autauga, Elmore, Coosa, Chilton, Shelby, and part of Talladega counties. The district saw some alteration after Republican lawmakers implemented its controversial and previously contested 2023 congressional maps earlier this year.

The candidates

Palmer is a stalwart conservative who supports abortion restrictions, gun access and opposes measures that would give legal status to immigrants. He has called for repealing the Affordable Care Act and reducing regulations on businesses.

Questions for comment were sent to Palmer’s campaign on Monday. As of Friday, he had not responded. 

In a March 5 press release, Palmer praised the attacks on Iran.

“I’m thankful that President Trump, as the Commander in Chief, approved Operation Epic Fury and took action to protect our nation, neutralize this threat, and hold Iran accountable for their decades of attacks against America,” Palmer said. 

On June 3, Palmer voted alongside Republicans to block the War Powers Resolution to end hostilities with Iran. 

“The people of the 6th District are hardworking, faithful, and conservative to the core,” Palmer said on social media of his primary victory on August 11. “They are small business owners, farmers, parents, veterans, and neighbors who get up every day and do the right thing for their families and their communities

Palmer, who has served since 2015, drew criticism from candidates in both parties for running for a sixth term in Congress in 2024 after saying in 2014 he would only serve 10 years. Palmer claimed that it was God’s plan for him to stay in office. 

The cost of living—of gas, groceries, utilities—is drawing opposition from every corner of the political spectrum. Since January of last year, gas prices have risen by roughly 33% amid the ongoing war with Iran. Trump’s tariff war is also projected to cost households an average $820 in 2026. 

Mercer, like Democrats across the country, is heavily centering his campaigns on economic affordability to challenge sitting Republicans.

“[Affordability] is a central theme that everybody’s heard, it doesn’t matter what political party you normally subscribe to—pain at the pump and at the grocery store,” said Mercer, a former president of the Pelham City Council, in an interview on Monday.

Palmer has also said in the past that affordability concerns and rural health care are among his top priorities. He voted in favor of budget reconciliation measures aimed at dismantling parts of the ACA and reducing federal health spending, maintaining that his positions were focused on reducing the national deficit and curbing government overspending.

Palmer has said that addressing economic affordability and rural healthcare access remain among his top priorities. He has also pursued efforts during his tenure to dismantle key parts of the ACA and Medicare.

Mercer argued that domestic financial strain has less to do with federal programs and more to do with international obligations. 

“Things are unaffordable for Americans, but we’re spending money overseas,” he said.

If Democrats restore a majority in the House, Mercer pledged to reclaim Article 1 constitutional powers by leveraging the War Powers Act to restrain executive overreach, subpoenaing officials, and prioritize a complete withdrawal of troops to redirect resources back home.

However, Mercer said the war is not the only reason for all the economic hardship; he points to the rollback of social programs. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) caught Pelham residents before they fell on hard times, Mercer said. Last year, congressional Republicans, including Palmer, voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which pushed more of the costs of maintaining the program to the states and required them to fix “error rates” or face penalties.  

“We’ve really got to think. Hey, these tax cuts that we gave to the ultra-wealthy Besos, Zuckerbergs, Elons of the world—the trickle-down is not trickling,” Mercer said.

He said more should be done to protect these programs as well as everyone who pays into them, including immigrants.

“I think everybody that I talk to agrees that the current way that ICE is handling the situation is inhumane,” Mercer observed. “There’s no due process. Families are being separated. Some people have been unalived in this process, and that needs to stop. We can secure our borders without unaliving people, separating families, and creating stress And having members of our community distraught.”

In an August Facebook post, Palmer characterized the Democrats as part of a “radical socialist agenda of the Democratic Party that wants to take money out of your pockets, open your borders, and grow the government into every corner of your life.”

Mercer said there is nothing radical about representing all people, making sure more people have access to healthcare, an affordable life and an end to ICE brutality. 

“We’re on the agenda of the people and making sure we represent all people. I’ve got a history of working across the aisle and representing all people—and that’s what we’ll do,” he said.

Fundraising

According to the most recent campaign filings, Palmer raised $1,138,127.83, of which 51% ($581,693.46) came from individual contributions. He has spent $1,187,383.43, with no funds remaining as of September 30. 

Maurice Mercer has raised $30,338.54 of which 79% ($18,789.58) came from individual contributions. He has spent $17,231.53, with $13,107.01 as of September 30.